Oh brother, where are all the songs?
It's taken five years for Smashproof to release the follow-up to their 2009 debut The Weekend, an album that came with their Gin Wigmore-assisted, New Zealand Music Award-winning smash Brother.
The good news is that sequel Forever proves the South Auckland hip-hop trio - Deach, Tyree and Young Sid - have a winning combo: check out Tyree's hooks, Young Sid's gruff grind and Deach's commanding verses working perfectly in unison on the club-baiting thump of LAB for proof that they're still having a blast together.
Combined with the title track, which comes with a Coldplay-style guitar riff and classic "live for today" chorus, and the uplifting pop hooks of Survivor and Paint Fade, you have the makings of a great album.
The bad news is there are only seven songs here - barely making Forever count as a full album. And the opening blast of Smashproof Watt sounds like 2005-era 50 Cent with its cliched "roof on fire" hook and generic G-Unit beats.
